The recent announcement has placed 1,300 jobs at risk and has people all over the country asking which McColl's are closing?
McColl's is the latest victim in a string of chain closures in 2022, following on from M&S store closures, the closing of Wilko stores and some Iceland stores closing down - all largely due to a decrease in profits. And though McColl's was saved from administration earlier this year when it was purchased by supermarket chain Morrisons, the stores are in trouble once again as 132 are set to close.
The announcement is sad news for regular customers of the chain, which was started by the Scottish footballer Robert Smyth McColl in 1901 with a single shop in Glasgow, as well as those who work in the stores - though Morrisons have promised that all employees affected will be offered alternative employment in the company.
Which McColl's are closing?
The McColl's store closures will see 132 shops shut their doors across the UK. Though it is a relatively small portion of the retailer's 1,164 stores, the announcement puts 1,300 jobs at risk.
The announcement comes just a few months after Morrison's - the UK's fifth biggest supermarket chain - fought off the owners of Asda to buy McColl's, which went into administration in May 2022.
Joseph Sutton, Morrisons’ convenience, online and wholesale director, said: "We very much regret the proposed closure of 132 loss-making stores but it is, very sadly, an important step towards the regeneration of the business.
"We have a great deal of work to do but there’s no question that McColl’s is a business with strong potential."
Morrisons has said that all affected staff members will offered employment at either a nearby McColl’s that will remain open or a Morrisons store, or at one of its logistics operations or foodmaking centres.
McColls store closures - the full list
- Reading Broad Street - RG1 7QE
- Banbury High Street - OX16 5JE
- Dunfermline Kingsgate Sc - KY12 7QA
- Chelmsford High St - CM1 1BE
- Bristol Cribbs Causeway - BS34 5GG
- High Peak Market Street - SK23 7LP
- Barking Faircross Parade - IG11 8UW
- Warrington Market Gate - WA1 2LJ
- Bridlington 47 West Street - YO15 3DZ
- Gateshead 8 Fewster Square - NE10 8XQ
- Billericay Grange Rd - CM11 2RB
- Urmston 354 Flixton Road - M41 5GW
- Wolverhampton Cannock Road - WV10 8PW
- Colchester The Centre - CO4 3PX
- Altrincham Hale - WA15 9SN
- Calverton St Wilfreds Sq - NG14 6FP
- Basingstoke North Tadley - RG26 4HD
- Greenford The Broadway - UB6 9PT
- Torquay The Strand - TQ1 2AA
- Plymouth Exeter Street - PL4 0NG
- Glenrothes 24 North Street - KY7 5NA
- Dalkeith Jarnac Court - EH22 1HU
- Hazlemere Holmer Green Road - HP15 7LG
- Alford South Market Place - LN13 9EB
- Louth Eastgate - LN11 9QE
- Trowbridge Castle Place - BA14 8AL
- Harrogate - HG2 0AG
- Bath 6 Argyle Street - BA2 4BA
- Sthelens - WA9 1PA
- Dorchester South Street - DT1 1DF
- Llanidloes Great Oak Street - SY18 6BW
- Darlington Yarm Road - DL1 1XL
- Thundersley Church Road - SS7 4EN
- Newport Ringlands Centre - NP19 9GY
- Southampton Woolston - SO19 9DY
- Sheffield - S8 0EX
- Stockport - SK5 6QU
- Rotherham Broom Valley Rd - S60 2QU
- Bath James Street West - BA1 2AG
- Bootle Fernhill Road - L20 9HH
- Leicester Blaby Western Dr - LE8 4FR
- Brinsworth Whitehill Lane - S60 5JP
- Stoke On Trent Trentham Rd - ST3 3DH
- Canvey Island - SS8 9JB
- Wellington 36 New Street - TF1 1NE
- Ellesmere Port - CH65 6PN
- Stockport - SK7 3PG
- Bacup Gladstone Street - OL13 9JZ
- Nottingham - NG8 2GB
- Thornton Anchorsholme Lane - FY5 3QL
- Weston Super Mare Locking - BS23 3LY
- Bradford - BD6 3EU
- Corsham - SN13 8NQ
- Torquay - TQ1 1HN
- East Ham - E6 3RL
- Tranmere Old Chester Rd - CH42 3TD
- Gt Yarmouth The Boulevard - NR30 2BG
- Chapelhall - ML6 8SW
- Bletchley Queensway - MK2 2DW
- Doncaster 35 Cedar Avenue - S64 9RT
- Oldham - OL8 3BE
- Warrington Concorde Place - WA2 9NA
- Birkenhead - CH41 8EN
- Belgrade Plaza - CV1 4BF
- Rochdale Albert Royds - OL16 2UE
- Thorn King Edward Road - DN8 4DD
- Skegness Trunch Lane - PE24 5TU
- Nottingham - NG5 3AS
- Gloucester Churchdown - GL3 2BX
- Blackburn Openshaw Drive - BB1 8RH
- Longton Anchor Rd - ST3 5EP
- Warrington - WA5 2RX
- Nottingham - NG6 9BU
- Skegness Ingoldmells - PE25 1PG
- Chester Dicksons Drive - CH2 2BT
- Hull 104 Salthouse Road - HU8 9HB
- Withernsea Queen Street - HU19 2DJ
- Hatfield 12 High View - AL10 8HZ*
- Flitwick Station Square - MK45 1DP*
- Wrexham Ruabon New High St - LL14 6NL*
- Billingham Neasham Avenue - TS23 3QZ*
- Guildford Merrow Epsom Rd - GU1 2RE*
- Sunderland Hylton Castle - SR5 3PZ*
- Westbury High Street - BA13 3BW*
- Keele University - ST5 5BG*
- Newbury Monument Close - RG14 6QJ*
- Chelmsford Moulsham Lodge - CM2 9LG*
- Darlington Whitby Way - DL3 9UH*
- Chester Elton Shopping Prct - CH2 4LU*
- Birkenhead Noctorum - CH43 9SE*
- Worsley Walkden Road - M28 7QH*
- Tunbridge Wells High Brooms - TN4 9BN*
- Cambridge Histon Road - CB4 3HL*
- Corstophine St. Johns Road - EH12 7XD*
- Eye Church Street - IP23 7BD*
- Bourne End The Parade - SL8 5SB*
- Birkenhead King Street - CH42 2AJ*
- Dalgety Bay Regent Way - KY11 9YD*
- Normanby 33 High Street - TS6 0NH*
- Rawmarsh Kilnhurst Road - S62 5NE*
- Fort William Glenloy Street - PH33 7DR*
- Crewe Coleridge Way - CW1 5LE*
- Louth North Somercotes - LN11 7PL*
- Carlton Carlton Hill - NG4 1JE*
- Caldicot Newport Road - NP26 4LY*
- Ashington Meadowfield - NE63 9TR*
- Walsall Wood High Street - WS9 9LR*
- Hull Greenwood Avenue - HU6 9QA*
- Ipswich Stoke Park Drive - IP2 9TH*
- Kilwinning Main Street - KA13 6AA*
- Doncaster Thorne Road - DN7 5BL*
- Redcar Gurney Street - TS11 8EQ*
- Helensburgh Churchill - G84 9HL*
- Immingham 5 Kennedy Way - DN40 2AB*
- Wingate Front Street - TS28 5AA*
- Huntington Stafford Road - WS12 4NU*
- Hamilton Cadzow Street - ML3 6EE*
- Egremont Main Street - CA22 2AB*
- Ware High Street - SG12 9BP*
- Bristol Stockwood - BS14 8PG*
- Plymstock 26 The Broadway - PL9 7AA*
- Carmountside Abbots Road - ST2 8EA*
- Great Horton Road Bradford - BD7 1AZ*
- Bridge Of Allan Fountain Rd - FK9 4EX*
- Bristol Stapleton - BS16 1HD*
- Kirkby In Ashfield Walesby - NG17 7PF*
- Bristol Bedminster North St - BS3 1JA*
- Bristol Portishead - BS20 6AB*
- Weston Super Mare Milton - BS22 8EF*
- Reading Lower Earley - RG6 5HQ*
- Wallasey - CH44 0EB*
- Great Sutton Old Chester Rd - CH66 3PB*
*with Post Offices.
Morrisons has said it will delay the closure of 55 of the McColl’s stores with Post Offices until next year to "enable them to serve their communities through Christmas and to allow the Post Office additional time to make alternative arrangements."
Why are McColl's stores closing?
Morrisons is closing McColl's stores deemed to be unprofitable. The 132 stores that will shut their doors are those "where there is no realistic prospect of achieving a breakeven position in the medium term".
However, the supermarket chain said it expects some McColl’s stores to return to profitability as part of its turnaround plans. David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, has said: "We are now able to begin the urgent journey to transform McColl’s into a viable, well-invested and growing operation."
The closures come after Morrisons lost its spot as the UK’s fourth-largest grocer in September and revealed its profits had dived 50% over the summer.
Supermarkets are facing economic difficulties due to a combination of higher prices from grocery suppliers and increased labour and energy costs, at the same time as shoppers curb spending on non-essentials due to the cost of living crisis.
In addition, convenience stores also face competition from delivery services such as Deliveroo and JustEat, which rapidly expanded during the pandemic.
Is McColl's changing to Morrisons?
Morrisons confirmed it would purchase McColl's in May 2022 as part of a £190million rescue deal, and has since said it plans to convert 1,000 McColl’s stores to Morrisons Daily shops within the next two years.
Based on the 286 stores it has already converted, Morrisons says this rebranding will boost sales by a fifth.
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